Learn, Truth, and Love
by Becca-Loves-Yuge
Summary: Set in nic struggles w/ the need to tell Amy the truth or leave forever.However,when she really needs him,he risks her hating him to save d they both learn that one needs to learn the truth in order to love. SonAmy.One-shot.


This is something I started forever ago and left it unfinished to work on my InuYasha fics. So, it is finally up here. I own nothing.

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><p><strong>Learn, Truth, and Love<strong>

The night was cool and Amy Rose wished she had thought to grab a jacket before she left the hotel room. She shivered in her thin red dress as she walked through the cobble stone streets, her chunky boot heels clicking as she walked. The sounds of a drunken party in full swing reached her small ears. She knew that warmth would be there for her. Amy's eyes turned towards the full moon above her. It was the light that guided her towards the party and warmth. A thin, grey puff of cloud slowly slid in front of the glowing blue orb. Its light gave everything an eerie, blue look. Another shiver traveled down her spine; this time it was not from the cold.

A small crash sounded from the alley beside her. Amy's chest tightened as her hand twitched towards her hammer. She turned towards the alley as she crouched into a familiar fighting stance. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt eyes on her.

"Who's there?" Amy called; her voice betrayed her with a small crack. She heard another crash and a small peep as a tiny figure floated in the dark, just outside the light the moon offered. Amy's fists tightened around her handle as the small creature bounced towards the light. With a sigh, she lowered her guard as a small chao floated in front of her. Her hammer disappeared in her hands as a small smile appeared on her lips. She kneeled before the small creature.

"What are you doing in the village, little chao?" Amy asked sweetly as it jumped into her hands.

"Chao!" It smiled at her. Amy smiled and stood with the chao in her hands.

"I'll just take you back to the forest so you can be with your family and friends." Amy's smile faltered as she said "friends." The reason she was out here this late at night was because of her friend. She was looking for Sonic. Amy straightened her shoulders. She would not think of him now. She would take this chao to safety and then search for her Sonikku. Amy walked away from the alley and back towards the party. She would warm herself and the chao up there and then continue to the forest to complete her new mission. The chao peeped in her arms.

**X**

He pressed his enlarged body against the brick wall of the building behind him. He hadn't meant to trip over the stack of discarded boxes and make all of that noise. When he saw Amy approach the alley with her hammer raised, he was sure she would find him. However, lucky for him, a little lost chao had crawled out of a bundle of old cloth and floated towards Amy.

He began to relax as he heard her footsteps disappear. He stepped away from the wall and used his enlarged arms to propel himself up and onto the roof of the building. He used his arms and legs to leap across the roof and then across to the next roof. He had seen that small flash on Amy's face as she walked away. He knew she was looking for him, but he could not let her see him this way. He might try to find her in the morning, at least to tell her he was fine and that she should stop looking for him. Then he would leave. His chest tightened and his pace faltered. He didn't want to leave her, but he needed to leave the village. To protect his friends. To protect everyone. To protect _her. _Sonic could never allow her to see him this way. He could not bare the thought of her heart speeding up in fear, the way her emerald eyes would surely widen in fear, the way she would open her supple lips and draw in the breath to scream…His ears flattened against his head. He _hated _to hear her scream. He would especially hate to be the one to cause her scream. Sonic stopped, a sick feeling building in his stomach.

No, he could not even tell her goodbye. He would just have to leave. _Now. _The second he would see that heartbroken look on her face would be his undoing and he knew he would not leave. He would just have to leave with the thought that one day he would break the curse and be able to see her again. Maybe, that day he would let her catch him. Sonic drew in a deep breath. He would leave now. He lowered to begin running again, but the sounds of the party in the street stopped him. He stood and carefully approached the edge of the roof and looked over.

Everyone was dancing and celebrating. As he had disappeared and not paid much attention to the news or the gossip of the people he passed, he knew not why. A large bonfire burned brightly in the middle of the party. And that was the direction that a small pink hedgehog was gently pushing her way towards. The chao floated close to her. Sonic watched as she bumped into a group of men. She smiled kindly and apologized and continued on her way. Sonic's veins ran cold as he saw the three men grin wickedly and look at each other. They then began to follow after her. Sonic's large hands clutched the side of the roof hard and it cracked and crumbled slightly. He growled quietly.

"Hey, sweetheart!" He heard the leader of the group call after her. His brow twitched and he growled again. The growling intensified as she turned towards them. Why would she acknowledge some stranger calling her pet names?

**X**

"Hey, sweetheart!" Amy heard one of the men she bumped into call after her. She turned and smiled questionably at them. She faintly heard a growling noise, but brushed it off as a drunken noise from the party. The fire warmed her back; she was so close. The chao floated beside her.

"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.

One of the men, a tall, bulky brunette grinned behind the tall, lanky blonde that had called out to her. The blonde addressed her again. "It looks like you're looking for someone, sugar. Thought we could help."

Amy smiled brightly. "Oh, yes! I _am _looking for someone: my friend. He's gone missing." Maybe they had seen Sonic.

The short, blonde one next to the brunette and slightly behind the lanky one spoke up. "Why'd he go missin', sugar? Why leave a sweet thing like you behind?"

Amy was not as experienced of the evils of the worlds as Sonic was, but she was not totally naive. These guys were starting to make her nervous. Amy swallowed hard and searched for her voice. They could not hurt her here. She was safe in the middle of all these people….though most of which were drunk…

_'Oh, Sonikku! Where are you?' _The chao called out again as Amy's hand twitched towards her hammer. "He's not missing…he's just not here…I thought he'd be here, but he's not, so I guess I'll just leave." She would just take the chao to her hotel room with her and get warm there. She'd help the chao in the morning. Amy began to back up.

"It's dangerous to be out alone at night; especially for such a sweet girl like you. We'll walk you to your place. We wouldn't want you to get attacked by the beast that's been attacking people at night. We would not be able to live with ourselves if something happened to you." The leader blonde told her. The last part seemed sarcastic. Amy took another step back. They each took a step forward.

She searched for a distraction. "Huh…W-what beast?" The men seemed honestly puzzled. She took another step back.

"Are you serious, girl?" The brunette asked. Amy nodded. She had only been here for a few days in search of Sonic; she had heard nothing of a beast. Maybe it was a clue.

The lanky one stepped towards her and put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards him. He began to lead her away from the bonfire and the party with the other two behind them. The chao fluttered around helplessly. Amy looked at it with wide eyes as fear began to build inside her.

"Sonikku…" she breathed as they exited the party area and began to leave the light and step in the dark. Amy had read stories like this in magazines and books. She _had _to get away. She would be damned if she would be raped and killed like this without seeing Sonic one last time.

The lanky blonde looked down at her and smirked. "Before we tell ya about the beast, we should introduce ourselves. I'm Raian. The short guy is Deivu and this is Kurisu. What's your name?"

Amy tried to squirm away a little, but Raian's grip only tightened. "Amy Rose." Amy meekly told them. She prayed that they had heard of her before and knew of her fighting skills and that Sonic would be here any second if they hurt her.

"And what a pretty little rose you are, Amy. Mind if we call you Rosy?" Amy stiffened. She _hated _the nickname Rosy. However, she didn't want to make them mad, so she nodded weakly. She would go with it until she got a chance to get away.

Deivu walked up next to her and Raian. "Well, Rosy, the story goes that this dark blue werehog is running around at night attacking people. The town is celebrating tonight because we finally have a plan to capture and kill the beast." Amy blinked and gasped.

"Did you say a blue were_hog_?" Amy asked and hoped.

Deivu nodded. "Yep. They say it's an experiment gone badly." Amy felt something like relief. She could feel that Sonic was near and she knew that the werehog just had to be Sonic. She had been so engrossed in the story, that she had not paid attention to where they were going. Now she was and she was scared. Amy felt cold and she realized they were heading towards an old, abandoned barn on the outskirts of the town.

"My hotel is the other way." Amy offered. Kurisu chuckled.

"We know, Rosy. We just want to show you something." Amy's eyes darted around. She had just noticed that the chao was gone. Amy prayed that it got back home; because she had a feeling she would never see it again. The blue light of the moon began to fade away as a dark cloud slipped in front of it. She grew cold with fear.

The closer they got to the barn, the sicker she felt. She swallowed back the bile in her throught as she quickly thought of an escape. Her only idea was to pull out her Piko Piko Hammer and just start beating them senseless, but she needed something less conspicuous; something tricky. She bit her lip. Tails or Sonic always came up with the plans. She had no idea what to do.

Deivu walked ahead of them and pushed open one of the barn doors. Raian pulled her threw the door. Deivu walked in behind them and Kurisu pulled the door closed behind them. It was dark, dusty, and dank in the barn. She could barely make out stacks of old hay and long forgotten farm tools. A blanket lay on the wooden floor in the center of the room. She could see no dust or holes in it, so she assumed they had placed it there before hand. She realized with a start that they had been planning on bringing some poor girl to this place. She gulped. She was that poor girl. Raian released her and she staggered forward a step. She felt a hard hand push her forward and she fell onto the ground. A thin stream of moonlight filtered in threw a broken window. She was petrified. Deivu and Kurisu kneeled and grabbed her around the upper arms. They pulled her towards the blanket, her stomach scrapped against the old, wooden floor and she let out a small yelp. Raian laughed. They flipped her over and held her down; she began to struggle, but they only held her tighter. Tears began to leak out of the corner of her eyes as Raian stood over her. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife. Amy let out a sob as it flashed open in the moonlight and he kneeled in front of her. She kicked at him as he grabbed the hem of her red dress. He slapped her hand away and began to saw on her dress, roughly tearing it open, starting at the bottom. Once he had about an inch or two, he set the knife beside him and began to tear her dress. Amy let out a small squeak. Deivu and Kurisu chuckled. A small smirk formed on Raian's lips.

"AAAARRROOOOOOOOO!" A howl tore through the cold night. The men stopped and looked at each other. Amy's body froze with fear. The howl was a cry of defiance, of ownership, of anger, of sadness, of pain. Amy could feel and hear so many emotions in that howl. Also, it felt…familiar. Amy's fear slowly faded away, starting with her legs.

"The werehog! What if he finds and eats us!" Kurisu worried aloud. Raian snorted.

"We'll finished with the girl and leave her for the werehog; a sacrifice. And then we can blame it on beast." Kurisu bit his lip and returned his attention back to Amy. Amy sucked in a deep breath.

_'Now or never.' _She thought as she jerked her legs back, up, and then forward. Her feet planted squarely on Raian's chest. He gasped and fell back. She tried to shake the other two off of her arms, but they only lifted her slightly and then banged her back on the ground. The air whooshed out of her lungs and she lay dazed on the ground. At least she had tried. Raian sat back up, with anger in his eyes. He crawled back to her and savagely tore open the rest of her dress. Amy's eyes began to slip close as she welcomed unconsciousness. "Sonikku…" she whispered.

She barely heard the next howl and the crash of the roof breaking through as she lost her place in the world and tumbled into the welcome arms of darkness.

**X**

Sonic had long since fallen asleep in the chair he had placed in front of the bedroom door, facing Amy's bed. It was just after dawn and he was his back in his hedgehog self. Amy lay on her bed under the covers with a bandage wrapped around her head; the chao that had helped him find her was asleep next to her.

Sonic had crashed through the roof just in time to stop those fiends. It had been an easy fight. He had been scared that Amy was badly hurt and had taken her to Professor Pickle. He had calmed Sonic's fears and bandaged Amy's small head wound, telling him that she had just shut off from the world so she would not have to experience the rape. The Professor had told him to take her back to her hotel room and leave her a goodbye note because they needed to leave again today. Sonic though had convinced him to hold off until tomorrow. He just could not bare leaving Amy with a note in her condition. She needed more than that after last night.

After he had put her to bed, he pulled over his chair and watched her sleep. He had never watched her sleep before and he discovered how peaceful she looked when she slept. Her overall innocence was more dominate when she slept. He hated his curse more as he watched her. He seemed more evil with her in his arms, with her in the same room as him. Sonic had eventually fallen asleep watching her and the sun had begun to rise as he slept and he turned back. Still, he slept on. His energy was totally spent from being up for so long and from the emotional over load of last night. He had been so close to being too late to save Amy. Another second and she would have been tainted. Another minute and she would have been dead. The thought had nearly driven him mad while he was fighting. Amy could have been taken from him forever and he would have never gotten to explain his disappearance to her, hold her one more time, hear her laugh one more time, feel her crushing embrace again, turn around while running and see her behind him….never tell her that he loved her. The stakes had been so high. He had scolded himself. He should have intervened when he first saw those men approach her. So much pain and heartbreak could have been saved. If he had just walked out to her when she stopped outside the alley, she would have never met those men, then again, another girl would have been chosen and she would not have gotten lucky. He could at least bask in the idea that he had saved other future girls from those animals.

His troubled thoughts would not ease as he slept. His face was twisted into lines of fear, something hardly ever seen on the blue hero's face. Though, how could he be a hero? He had almost lost Amy because of his fear of her rejection at his curse. His body tensed.

**X**

Amy felt warm. Not just warm, but safe. She snuggled closer into her soft, warm bed with a moan of pleasure. Her movement alerted her to her faint headache. Her eyes clenched tighter close. Realization slowly dawned on her. She should not be in her bed. She should not be safe or warm. She should be on a wooden floor. She should be dead and cold. But…she wasn't. She peaked open an eye and saw her little chao friend asleep beside her. She was in her hotel room. Had it all been a dream? No…it couldn't be. The chao was asleep beside her. She had been saved. She sat up a little and her blanket fell away from her upper body. She did not feel the cold air she thought she would from a torn dress. She looked down and saw that she was wearing one of her slightly oversized sleep shirts. She fisted the blanket in her hands. This was her favorite sleep shirt; it was one of Sonic's old T-shirts. She closed her eyes to hold back her tears. She turned her face up and slowly opened her eyes. Her chest tightened and she gasped as her eyes widened. Before her, in a hotel room chair, slept her savior: Sonic. He had gotten to her and saved her in time. He must have brought her back here. Amy smiled and threw the blanket away from her. The chao startled awake and chirped at her. Amy put a finger to her lips and crept over to Sonic. She wetted her lips as she watched him.

He looked tensed. Amy didn't want to wake him up by moving him and opening the door. So, she would just stay in here with him. Amy reached for a blanket and began to cover Sonic. She tilted her head to the side as she realized how dirty he was. Leaves and brush were tangled in his fur and dirt and mud were dried into his matted fur. Amy carefully began to finger the leaves and brush out of his fur, dirtying her hands, but she didn't care. Sonic began to relax as her fingers worked through his cobalt fur. He had always been so clean and neat, so she didn't understand how come he was so dirty and disorderly now. Sonic stirred beneath her hands and she paused. His eyes clenched and then blinked open slowly. Amy's hand hovered over his head as their eyes met.

"Amy…" Sonic breathed.

"Sonikku…." Amy replied quietly.

Sonic pulled her to him and rested his head on her soft breast as he held her. "I'm so sorry, Amy." Amy was frozen. This was so unlike Sonic. Slowly, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she held him to her.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Sonic. I should be thanking you." Amy whispered.

Sonic shook his head against her breast. "No, Amy. I truly am sorry. I should have come to you in the alley or even at the festival. You would not have been hurt if I had only come to you sooner." Amy's breathing stopped.

"I thought I felt your presence then. Why, Sonikku? Why didn't you come out? I was so scared and worried about you. You left and didn't tell me goodbye or anything. I thought something bad had happened," Amy paused and swallowed pass the lump in her throat. "People back home began to say you had died. I left when the rumor became more of a certain fact than rumor. I just could not believe that you were dead. I knew in my heart you were alive. I just had to see you again." Amy's eyes had started watering and a tear dripped onto Sonic's head.

Sonic's heart clenched with emotion. He had been so cruel to Amy. He should have returned to Mobius and at least left her a note or another rose.

"I'm sorry." It sounded weak to Sonic as he said it. He heard Amy sniff and felt her embrace tighten.

"Where have you been, Sonikku?" Amy sniffled.

Sonic froze. How could he tell her? This is what he had wanted to delay. He would have to tell her he had to leave again. Amy felt Sonic stiffened in her arms. She pulled away and saw the heartbroken expression on his face. Amy's breathing sped up.

"Sonikku? Are you okay?"

Sonic looked away from her. "How's your head?" he mumbled. Amy had forgotten her injury. She realized now that it was starting to throb. She probably had a concussion. Amy kneeled before Sonic and looked up into his jade eyes, his arms still loosely around her shoulders.

"It's fine." She lied. Sonic lifted a hand to her head and placed in gently behind her head on the lump from last night. It had bled a little, but he felt no warmth now. Amy's face flashed with pain briefly, before smoothing out. Sonic looked away from her and stood; Amy's arms falling weightlessly into her lap. She looked down at her lap as Sonic moved the chair away from the door and opened it. He walked into the main room of the hotel suite. Amy wrapped her arms around her and pulled her knees to her chin.

She heard Sonic rustling through her few supplies that were on the counter of the kitchen area of her suite. She then heard water run into a cup and then shut off. She heard Sonic renter her room; she didn't look up.

"Sonic, what happened last night?" Amy quietly asked. Sonic placed the Tylenol and glass of water in the chair. He then kneeled in front of Amy.

"By the time I got there, you had passed out. They had just ripped your dress off and were about to…hurt you. I fought them off of you and took you to a friend who treated your injury and then I brought you back here."

Amy's eyes tightened and she leaned onto his shoulder. "I heard an animal. Before I passed out, I heard a howl. Something told me it was you. Was it?" Amy mumbled into his shoulder.

Sonic stiffened and his eyes widened. Right to the point. His ears flattened against his head. It seemed his time with her was up unless he wanted to lie. He didn't want to lie to her, but there was so much he still wanted to tell her. His time was up. Sonic closed his eyes.

"I…I…" Sonic trailed off and swallowed. He licked his dry lips. He wasn't ready. He couldn't do this yet. He stiffened when he felt Amy's arms wrap around him.

"Those men…told me about this…werehog. They told me that it was killing people, but I had this feeling it was you. But…you could never kill a person. I was so confused. If it is you, I won't judge you. Just please…tell me the truth." Amy pleaded with him quietly.

"I didn't kill anyone." Sonic whispered. Amy pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Amy reached her hand out and brushed back one of Sonic's stray quills. He shivered under her touch.

"What happened to you, Sonic?" Amy asked sadly.

"Eggman blasted me with this chaos emerald ray, and the side affect was that when the sun goes down, I turn into a….werehog. That's why I left. I have to fix the emeralds, find a cure, and save the world." Sonic chuckled without humor. "Same ol', same ol'."

Amy looked down, her bangs covering her eyes from Sonic. Sonic stopped breathing. _'Here it comes.' _He thought as he clenched his fists in his lap. Again he replayed the thought of Amy being afraid of him. Sonic's lips parted as his breath whooshed out of him. He felt a tight pressure in his stomach and chest.

"Please…Amy, don't be scared of me. I promise I won't hurt you." Sonic pleaded. Amy recoiled into herself. Sonic turned away from her, awaiting rejection.

"Sonic." Amy said sternly. The blue blur flinched and slowly turned to look at her. Amy looked up at him with tears in her emerald eyes. Behind the tears, a fire burned brightly. Sonic looked agape at her; he had not anticipated this reaction. He then became puzzled; what was this reaction?

Amy raised her hand. With a huff, she slapped Sonic across the face. His head cracked to the side. The sound of the slap echoed in the quiet room. Sonic's cheek burned and he slowly placed a hand on his tingling cheek.

"You're so stupid! You should have told me instead of running off! I bet you told Tails…you tell him everything!" Amy turned away from him and buried her face into her hands. Sonic turned to look back at her. She was…mad at him? She should be terrified, running, screaming.

"Amy…" Sonic whispered in wonder. She had always stood by him, even now. She was right, he should have relied on his friends, instead of running off to solve this alone. He had always asked them for help, except now. He crawled closer to her and put his arms around her. Amy's soft crying stopped as she leaned back into his embrace.

"Amy…you're right. I should not have run off, but I just…I just couldn't bare the thought of you and the others hating me. Yes, Tails knows, but he can help me and I-"

Amy whipped around and looked at him. "I can help you too, Sonic! Please, let me help you!" Sonic searched her eyes and found only complete trust and love.

"Amy, I can't let you get involved in this. It's too dangerous." Amy's eyes narrowed.

"I don't care!" Amy huffed. Sonic gripped her shoulders.

"But, I do. I'm not going to involve you in this any further. Just…just stay here and wait for me to come back." Amy's lip quivered.

"You hate me. You won't come back." Amy turned roughly away from him again.

Sonic gasped and pulled her back to face him. "What did you say?" he demanded quietly. Amy let out a small sob.

"You hate me! Why did you even bother to save me last night? You should have just left me alone! Maybe I could have died still thinking there was a small chance you didn't hate me. Sonic, you do this every time! You save me, involve me in some world threatening crisis, and then just leave me behind like some old sock causing me to go after you and further involve myself in the crisis. Just leave me alone, Sonic. I won't bother you anymore."

"Amy." Amy looked slightly back at him. "Shut up." Amy's eyes widened. "You're right. I have involved you in something dangerous and now I'm going to leave you here. So you don't get hurt. Amy, I promise, I'm not throwing you aside like 'some old sock.'" Amy nibbled delicately on her lip at Sonic's words.

She swallowed and nodded her head. "Yes you are!" She sobbed. "You're just going to say sweet words to me and then take off running and then I won't see you again until you come running through looking for some new adventure!" Amy tossed back her head and sobbed; fat tears rolled out of her eyes and poured down her cheeks, meeting under her chin before dripping like a tiny water fall before falling to her chest or lap, staining her borrowed shirt.

Amy shoulders shook as she sobbed. She cried for her wishing to be dead. She cried for her shame for wishing that. She cried for Sonic's behavior. She cried for her pain. Sonic quietly sat there and let her cry until she ran dry. She sniffled and a few tears still ran down her cracked and puffy face. Sonic gently reached for her shoulders and pulled her to him. His lips crashed onto hers.

Amy's eyes widened and then slowly closed. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. Their lips moved like they had rehearsed for this moment. The only sound in the room was their panting and the sound of their lips moving.

Amy had never felt so happy before in her life. She had finally gotten her wish: To kiss Sonic. All thoughts of death and leaving left her mind.

Sonic felt so much lighter and relieved. If he had known that all of his problems would have disappeared when he admitted his feelings, he would have done so long ago.

Eventually, they both needed air. Amy nibbled gently on Sonic's lower lip before pulling away. They panted, taking large breathes to make up for the ones lost. As their breathing returned to normal, they stared into each other's eyes.

"Don't ever say you hate me." Sonic whispered

Amy nodded weakly. Sonic stood to leave, looking over at the forgotten medicine. He motioned with his head towards it. "You should really take that soon."

Amy again weakly nodded. Sonic turned to walk out the door, but he paused and looked over his shoulder down at her. "I really will be back."

Amy's eyes searched his, finding the truth in them. "I love you," she whispered.

"I'll protect you," he replied.

With that, he turned and left the room. Amy sat there until she heard the front door open and close. She looked up at the water and medicine. She slowly stood and reached for it. She swallowed the pill and looked down at her reflection in the small cup before drinking it. The chao chirped beside her and she looked up.

"You must be starving." Amy smiled.

She walked into the kitchen area and started to gather supplies to make a small breakfast. When she turned and began to set the supplies on her counter, she stopped. She carefully sat them down and then reached for the perfect, pale pink rose that was lying on the wooden top. She reached for it and held it to her chest. She lowered her head and kissed its soft petals. She then closed her eyes and inhaled. When she opened them, she noticed the small note that had been lying beside it.

Amy's hand shook as she reached for it and set the rose down. She unfolded it and Sonic's familiar, tiny scrawl was upon it.

_Amy Rose,_

_I almost forgot to give you this._

_Stay here until I come for you. And I will. I promise._

_Love, _

_Sonic T. Hedgehog_

Amy's eyes traveled back to the rose. And she would stay here. She would wait until she heard from Sonic again. She would wait for him.

Even if it took the rest of her life.

* * *

><p>Review.<p>

~Azarath101


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